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India Today
3 days ago
- Business
- India Today
Samsung says Apple foldable is good for the industry, teases more AI assistants beyond Gemini for Galaxy S26
As the foldable smartphone wars heat up, Samsung is bracing for the moment its biggest rival finally steps into the ring. Apple's first folding iPhone is widely rumoured to be on the horizon, but Samsung insists it isn't fazed. In a new interview with Bloomberg, Samsung's President of Mobile, Won-Joon Choi, made it clear that the Korean giant is confident in its head been doing this for many years, and we have accumulated a lot of technologies and know-how. And, having another global technology company [in] this category is good for the industry and is going to be great for the consumers,' he said, when asked how Samsung would 'keep its edge' once Apple inevitably joins the comments come as Samsung unveils the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Z Flip 7, its most refined foldables to date, in a market where competition from Chinese brands is growing ever fiercer. On the other hand, Apple's first foldable is speculated to debut next year, 2026. While nothing is confirmed, we have reported a lot of evidence that shows Apple is working on its Galaxy Z Flip 7 with in-house Exynos processor This year's Galaxy Z Flip 7 also marks a bit of a milestone for Samsung: it's the company's first foldable to use an in-house Exynos processor. When pressed on why the company chose that chip, Choi explained that there's no brand loyalty when it comes to silicon. 'We have a rigorous process when picking a chipset,' he said. 'We look at performance, power consumption, and other reasonable aspects of the consumer requirements.'Will next year's Flip stick with an Exynos 2600? That, Choi hinted, is still undecided: Samsung will 'consider every option.'AI and it's not just GeminiAnd then, of course, there was AI. You can't have a tech interview these days without latest phones already lean on Google's Gemini AI for a range of smart features, but Choi made it very clear that the future isn't exclusive.'Gemini will not be the only AI assistant we're going to integrate with Galaxy,' he teased. 'We're going to integrate multiple AI assistants and AI agents with this framework that we've built. It could be anything, as long as these AI agents are competitive, and AI agents can provide the best user experience, we are open to any ideas. We are talking to multiple vendors. I think at the time of [Galaxy] S26 you're going to see more. In addition to Gemini, you're going to see more at the time of [Galaxy] S26.'Pressed on whether that means partnerships with companies like Perplexity or ChatGPT maker OpenAI, Choi simply smiled and said 'anyone' is on the table. Still, with a big hint that Samsung will have much more to say around the Galaxy S26 launch, it seems certain there are deals already closed out the conversation with his vision for the future of mobile: 'the smartphone as the central hub for AI.'Tariffs and trade politicsThe conversation then shifted to another storm cloud hanging over the smartphone business: trade policy. New rules could see devices not manufactured in the United States slapped with a hefty 25 per cent this, Choi was deliberately cautious, pointing out that Samsung's global reach offers a safety net. 'Samsung has multiple manufacturing facilities in key regions around the world,' he said. This gives the company 'a lot of flexibility' to move production as needed. Speaking directly to the US tariff threat, he added, 'There are a lot of uncertainties,' but Samsung has been working to ensure products bound for the American market can be assembled in 'multiple locations.'For now, Samsung may be keeping its cards closed, but with rivals circling, and Apple poised to pounce, the next year looks set to be one of the most interesting in foldables yet.- EndsMust Watch
Bloomberg
5 days ago
- Business
- Bloomberg
Samsung Welcomes Competition in Foldable Phones
Samsung President and Mobile eXperience COO Won-Joon Choi is welcoming competition in the foldable phone category, as the electronics giant awaits an entry from arch-rival, Apple. Choi spoke exclusively with Bloomberg Tech: Asia anchor Shery Ahn at Samsung's Suwon headquarters about the bet on foldables, as well as the impact of tariff threats and the future of AI on Samsung devices. (Source: Bloomberg)
Time of India
09-07-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Amid looming US tariffs, Samsung may make India a hub for US
NEW YORK: Samsung is ready to shift a part of its smartphone production from Vietnam, if US tariffs become lower in India. This would see the world's biggest smartphone maker following American rival Apple in making India a top hub for making smartphones for the US market. "Samsung has production presence in several countries. Uncertainty in the US is currently very high and because of that we have been preparing against a number of different scenarios. We are ready to produce for the US from multiple factories, including India," Samsung's global president and chief operating officer (mobile experience division) Won-Joon Choi said on the sidelines of the company's global launch of Galaxy Fold7 (priced upwards of Rs 1.75 lakh) and Flip7 (Rs 1.1 lakh) devices here. "We are already manufacturing some of the smartphones that are going to the US at our factory in India." He said the company has been watching US president Donald Trump's tariff announcements carefully and this can lead to change in sourcing across global factories. "One of the things that we have prepared was to have diversification of our factories for the product we will ship to the US. Depending on the final decision by the Trump administration, we have already established a system in which we can shift from one (location) to another to respond to the final decision more flexibly. " Samsung has large production hubs in India as well as Vietnam. While the India factory, at Greater Noida in Uttar Pradesh, is used largely to meet domestic demand apart from exports, the Vietnam location is primarily used for export needs. The US is Vietnam's largest export market and there are indications that Hanoi may be given a comfortable 20% tariff for shipments to the US. India has also been seeking lower duty for electronics exports to the US, which are led by multi-billion-dollar iPhone shipments, Samsung's devices, and other telecom players. "Even without taking the tariff situation in consideration, we operate with multiple factories across the globe and we have always tried to optimise our operations as efficiently as possible so that we achieve business stability and provide price stability to our consumers," Choi said. He said situation in the US remains uncertain, and the company has been analysing the situation very carefully. "Some of the things that we need to plan - set the right equipment, set the factory line ready, and get our factory to be certified so that we can make the products and ship to the US. We have all those things ready." Speaking about impact from restrictions placed on rare earth minerals from China, he said the company is prepared to handle such situations. "Samsung has long been managing its global supply chain, preparing for different cases. We have long been trying to diversify our global supply chain, so even for the rare earth metals, we have been trying to source from different companies and different countries. We have long been seeking diversification so I can tell you that for the near-term, there has been no production disruptions. " (The correspondent is in US at the invitation of Samsung) Stay informed with the latest business news, updates on bank holidays and public holidays . AI Masterclass for Students. Upskill Young Ones Today!– Join Now
Economic Times
09-07-2025
- Business
- Economic Times
Tariff impact: Samsung to up India Play
Synopsis Samsung Electronics is planning to diversify its smartphone production, shifting some manufacturing from Vietnam to India and other countries to serve the US market. This strategic move aims to mitigate the potential impact of tariffs on goods imported from Vietnam. Samsung currently caters to the majority of the US demand from Vietnam. However, it has started shipping limited quantities to the US from India New York: South Korea's Samsung Electronics is planning to shift smartphone production to multiple countries, including India, from Vietnam for exports to the US, in an effort to offset the impact of impending tariffs."We are ready to produce for the US in multiple factories, including India," said Won-Joon Choi, president & chief operating officer of Mobile eXperience business and head of R&D office at Samsung Electronics. "What we have done is to diversify our factories for the products that we're going to ship to the US."Samsung currently caters to the majority of the US demand from Vietnam while India-made phones are exported to non-US markets, people aware of the details said. However, Samsung has started shipping limited smartphone quantities to the US from India amid the evolving geopolitical per industry estimates, Samsung can manufacture 70 million phones annually in India and the capacity can be further expanded rapidly. It currently produces about 45 million smartphones in the reported earlier about Samsung exporting more than ₹30,000 crore ($3.5 billion) worth of smartphones from India in FY25, compared to an estimated $35 billion from Vietnam, with the US accounting for $10 billion. "A major part of this ($10 billion) could now be shifted to India, depending on the geopolitical developments," said an industry executive, referring to potentially high tariffs that could be levied on Vietnam by the US due to the former's huge trade Donald Trump administration paused reciprocal tariffs imposed on most of its trading partners based on their trade surpluses till July 9. At the time, Vietnam faced 46% tariff, far higher than India's 26%. The deadline has since been extended till August 1 for countries to reach a deal with the US. Like India, Vietnam too is trying to negotiate a trade deal with the had reported in April about Samsung potentially shifting manufacturing to to select journalists after the launch of Samsung's latest flagship devices, Choi said the company would take a call based on the final decision by the Trump administration. "We have already established a system, and we can shift from one to another (country) to respond to the final decision and be more flexible," he said. (The reporter is in the US at the invitation of Samsung)
Time of India
09-07-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Tariff impact: Samsung to up India Play
Live Events (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel New York: South Korea's Samsung Electronics is planning to shift smartphone production to multiple countries, including India, from Vietnam for exports to the US, in an effort to offset the impact of impending tariffs."We are ready to produce for the US in multiple factories, including India," said Won-Joon Choi, president & chief operating officer of Mobile eXperience business and head of R&D office at Samsung Electronics. "What we have done is to diversify our factories for the products that we're going to ship to the US."Samsung currently caters to the majority of the US demand from Vietnam while India-made phones are exported to non-US markets, people aware of the details said. However, Samsung has started shipping limited smartphone quantities to the US from India amid the evolving geopolitical per industry estimates, Samsung can manufacture 70 million phones annually in India and the capacity can be further expanded rapidly. It currently produces about 45 million smartphones in the reported earlier about Samsung exporting more than ₹30,000 crore ($3.5 billion) worth of smartphones from India in FY25, compared to an estimated $35 billion from Vietnam, with the US accounting for $10 billion."A major part of this ($10 billion) could now be shifted to India, depending on the geopolitical developments," said an industry executive, referring to potentially high tariffs that could be levied on Vietnam by the US due to the former's huge trade Donald Trump administration paused reciprocal tariffs imposed on most of its trading partners based on their trade surpluses till July 9. At the time, Vietnam faced 46% tariff, far higher than India's 26%. The deadline has since been extended till August 1 for countries to reach a deal with the US. Like India, Vietnam too is trying to negotiate a trade deal with the had reported in April about Samsung potentially shifting manufacturing to to select journalists after the launch of Samsung's latest flagship devices, Choi said the company would take a call based on the final decision by the Trump administration. "We have already established a system, and we can shift from one to another (country) to respond to the final decision and be more flexible," he said.(The reporter is in the US at the invitation of Samsung)
